caroline's stuff that doesn't go anywhere else.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

dumping the "Big Shots" for some "Heroes"

Man, that was fast.

I dropped "Big Shots" about ten or fifteen minutes into it. It's my fault, I suppose. I banked on it so much to be my male version of "Sex and the City" but it failed, as the others have over the years.

The characters are a bit too whiny, and even though Michael Vartan is on the show, I can't watch it. It's literally unwatchable, at least from my standpoint. It's over. It's done. I think I would have liked it more if they didn't just sit around and bitch about their lives all the time. It's one thing to have one character that's p-whipped; it's another when it's all of them, and it's the main premise of the show. Booooring.

No matter, it's all water on under the bridge. I have been able to pick up another, better show called "Journeyman" which coincidentally is set in San Francisco! You can tell when it's shot here and when it's somewhere else. Or at least native SFers notice... right?

---

In the course of three weeks, I was able to watch the entire first season of "Heroes." I'm always slow to the hype surrounding new television shows, as I was with "Lost" and "Ugly Betty" to name a few. In fact, I was slow to watch these shows because my days at the time were occupied by school, work, eating, sleeping, and managing to watch the shows I did keep up with. Now I am completely caught up, with the episodes and the show. I was skeptical at first, just because it seemed to me that this was another attempt as some kind of "X-Men" show. Still wounded by that film called "X-Men 3" (*shudder*), I decided not to rub salt in the wound. But now: I can't get enough of it!

... actually, this is just an excuse to post some pictures of Milo Ventimiglia, aka Peter Petrelli. My "hero," and new "boyfriend." Check two of my favorite pics of him from Best Life Magazine:

And, this probably doesn't really need to be said, but "Heroes" has one of the best looking casts in television! Kudos to them for adding Hunter from "The Office" as well. Keep it coming!

Friday, September 21, 2007

my blues come in form of red and white stripes.

Last week The White Stripes put a dagger through my heart and canceled the rest of their fall tour ... a week before they were supposed to be at the Greek in Berkeley. It was something I had been looking forward to ever since I did the whole pre-sale thing, and also because I like the Greek Theater as a venue, even though it's seriously up in the cuts of UC Berkeley.

I can't blame The White Stripes. It was said that Meg is suffering from acute anxiety, which I understand can be something that is serious, and I do hope Meg gets well. It's a bummer, but it's something I will have to live with.

I'm just disappointed because The White Stripes have come to be one of my favorite bands, and I was looking forward to this for what seemed like an eternity. Anything I did this past year was knowing that I would be attending this show on September 21st. Thoughts like "Hmm, I should finish this sandwich" or "Hey, better jump through that hoop of fire." Anything to get through the days until September 21st. Okay, so I didn't actually jump through a real hoop of fire, but it's just a figure of speech. Everything I put myself through this year was just so I could be in that crowd, watching them and the Cold War Kids do what they do best.

Instead of being in Berkeley for the day, walking around Telegraph and University, I decided to pick up an extra shift at work, and now I have a blazing headache. But to make myself feel a little better, here are some highlights from their 2005 show in Berkeley, one I was lucky to attend. They were promoting "Get Behind Me Satan" and it was my first WS concert. This is my recollection of the things that happened, and I recall them to the best of my memory.

1. Jack kicks it off with "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and somehow segues into "Hotel Yorba" - I could be wrong about the segue, but I do remember him playing the chords to "Dead Leaves" and me going crazy along with the crowd. I also sang along like I was at an *NSYNC concert, which non-surprisingly, I have seen a whopping nine times. Don't be shocked.

2. Guy with spike choker almost pokes me - why they let people in with these things, even when they say they are not allowed still puzzles me to this day. Almost. Died.

3. Jack gets pissed at a radio station - So, you know those stupid annoying radio stations that think blowing up a balloon with their station and call letters on it is really super awesome? Well, Jack thought it was stupid and called them out. "I want an apology," he said. Everyone erupted in cheers ... and I suppose somebody was getting fired at the same time. He was in the middle of a song, and all of a sudden someone's stupid balloon comes up on stage. Not cool at all.

4. Meg sings - She sang! It was the song "Passive Manipulation," a song I don't particularly like all too much, but it was nice to hear something out of her for like ... a minute.

5. Jack does "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)" - It was my favorite song off the album. Everyone got quiet during the part when he gets super quiet in the song. Totally memorable.

Just recalling certain moments from '05 is depressing. Even more depressing is that they actually did two shows in '05, and I only went to one. It's very uncharacteristic of me (example: all those *NSYNC shows), but I suppose I ran out of money during the time. I'd rather have been to see them this year, and I would rather have new memories. Hopefully they'll reschedule.

Watch them perform "Effect and Cause" on Conan. I wanted to hear this one live, but this is as good as it gets:

Buy, buy, buy: Under Blackpool Lights, the White Stripes live in the UK in '04, and a perfect way to see what their shows are really like.

Friday, September 14, 2007

fall preview: Big Shots

The men of "Big Shots" try to channel their inner Carrie Bradshaw. Or that time she walked the runway and ended up falling on her butt. (Can you say "Awkward pose?")

I kind of see it ... four successful men living in Manhattan being controlled by the women in their lives. Question is, though: is it a new take on the ever present power-struggle? Man versus Man? Or even Man versus Woman?

Probably not. But I suppose "Big Shots" looks interesting mainly because it could possibly be the one true answer to "Sex and the City." Or not ... I could be getting ahead of myself.

The show boasts some heavy hitting leading men. Dylan McDermott has somehow managed to return to ABC with a new show. Christopher Titus, whom you might remember from his show "Titus" on Fox somehow looks perfect for his role of resident asshole. Joshua Malina looks like the docile type, and Michael Vartan, well, looks as hot as usual.

All four men, according to what the show is about I suppose can be lumped into more familiar type of people. For example:

(And I'm guessing someone *might* have a gay friend along the way that resembles Carrie's best gay, Stanford. Right?)

Those assessments can be questioned once the pilot airs - I'm sure that the roles will be mixed around. But I've based my statements on the commercials and character summaries that I've seen and read. In other words, James Walker seems to be the central main character we're supposed to feel for, while Brody Johns' life is ruled by his successful career, Karl Mixworthy has this warped sense of reality about relationships, and Duncan Collinsworth might as well be the resident manwhore due to his unbelievably mutant good looks. And also, like on "Sex and the City," one thing rules above all: sex.

I'm mainly excited for this show because it actually looks interesting, and each member of the cast looks like they can actually bring something to this show to make it what it is. As for the women in their lives, the only familiar names I see are Nia Long and Paige Turco. I'm sure they'll each bring something good to the table as well.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

decals, decals, decals ...

Just when I thought I couldn't love Threadless any more than I already do, I recently discovered that they offer wall decals through Blik, a shop that specializes in decals not just for your walls, but also your car and other likely surfaces.

I'm definitely looking into re-decorating once I have my apartment to myself (and my sister, aka my roommate), and I've found a whole lot of really cute decals that I *might* try and get away with. Two of my favorites:

As a huge fan of Threadless, I am definitely into Blik's Threadless Shop. I love wearing their shirts and just the thought of putting another one of their wonderful creations on my wall is even better. I love "Ambition Killed The Cat" and "Summer Wind." (Both of what each decal piece looks like is pictured above, but click on the links to see what they actually look like on someone's wall!)

Prose has to be the one that has peaked my interest the most! Granted, I don't have a fireplace, but I definitely like the different suggestions of how to put it to good use. I'd probably use some kind of really nice/profound/well-known quote if I were to ever do this.

The whole decal thing might not be practical for some, especially since most of us can't stay in our 20s forever, and some of the decal designs may be a little too kiddish for some people's tastes. But ... I do think it's kind of like a new spin on wallpaper, and a great way to just kind of do up another room in an unconventional kind of way.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

PLEASURE OVERLOAD!

Okay. I get it, Steve Jobs. You make iPods, therefore, you are King of the Universe. How the hell do you do it?

Not only have you created just one iPod, but you have made others, and you have made them better. You have also created the iPhone's little sister, the iPod Touch, which is basically like the phone, but not a phone. You have also managed to include something else I love into the mix, which I shouldn't love because it's anevil omnipresent corporation. But hot damn! Free Wi-Fi? In the words of Barney Gumble, just hook it up to my veins!!!

I can't write anything anymore ... I'm wracking my brain here trying to figure out which one I really want (probably the iPod Classic, which is a name that sounds pretty cool). I also cannot do the little "i" thing any longer. It's hard.

But, let us think about the poor people who shelled out some serious bank for those iPhones ... it feels just like yesterday that I passed these people on the street thinking to myself: "Mmm ... he'll probably come out with something better later on." Poor kids.